Local NRA instructor speaks about importance of gun safety

Shooting a bullet exactly where you want it takes practice and focus for many to perfect it, but before shooting a gun it's about safety. Lee Blackman has been shooting guns as a pastime for 17 years.

"To help safely promote shooting sports," says Blackman.

He's at the Golden Triangle Gun Club Sunday afternoon getting certified as a pistol shooting instructor, but he's not doing it to teach a class.

"We have a lot of shooters that show up with a lot of questions I want to be able to give them something that's structured as far as guidance goes," says Blackman.

Blackman says when he started the pastime he had mentors to teach him the ropes on safety. Doc Mayer is an NRA training counselor and she's teaching the class Sunday about gun safety.

"My role is important to future shooters in that I'm teaching instructor that are going to go out to have their own classes and teach the basics of pistol shooting for the NRA to many shooters," says Mayer.

Pew Research Center estimates 19,000 gun owners accidentally shoot themselves every year. Last Thursday an NRA employee shot himself in the foot on accident.

"Guns are not the problem people are the problem people with bad attitudes or people that are unsafe and it was a shame it was an NRA instructor but that person didn't follow the safe gun handling rules or that incident would not have happened," says Mayer.

Doc's not the only one that says safety comes first.

"Safety is the foremost thing. We can't have fun unless we are safe," says Blackman.